Collins spent $400,000 of taxpayer money on franked, campaign-style, advertisements during his bruising Senate primary contest and potentially violated House ethics rules by double-dipping with his campaign’s advertising firm. Collins’ primary opponent called out his waste of taxpayer funds and abuse of the congressional franking privilege to his own electoral gain. Collins dismissed the allegations and instead leaned-in on his mudslinging.
Collins’ senior staff abused Collins’ franking privileges as a reimbursement honeypot and his former chief of staff received more than $178,000 from Collins' office to cover franked advertisements. Senior hill staffers warned against Collins’ reimbursement process and claimed it took “a special type of idiot to do it for franking.”
Popular Information: GOP Senate Candidate Spent $400,000 Of Taxpayer Money On Campaign-Style Ads. [Popular Information, 7/1/26]
Collins Spent More Than $400,000 In Congressional Funds On Franked, Campaign-Style, Television Advertisements. According to Popular Information, “Collins (R-GA), the Republican nominee for a hotly contested U.S. Senate seat in Georgia, spent over $400,000 of taxpayer money designated for office expenses on TV ads that are virtually indistinguishable from his campaign ads. Collins paid for these ads using funds provided for the operation of his congressional office. Although it is permissible for such funds to be used for ‘mass communications’ to constituents, the House Communications Standards Manual states that such communications ‘should not be used for political or personal business.’” [Popular Information, 7/1/26]
Collins’ Franked Advertisements And His Campaign Ads Were Nearly Identical; Both Featured The Same Trump Quote, The Same Video, And Included Only Minor Changes In Content. According to Popular Information, “‘Congressman Mike Collins. Mike you were fantastic,’ President Trump says at the beginning of one ad paid for with Collins’ office funds. A narrator then states, ‘Mike Collins is protecting Georgia by working with President Trump to pass the Laken Riley Act.’ The 30-second ad concludes by playing Trump’s praise of Collins again. ‘He loves this state and he took this very personally,’ Trump says. ‘Thank you, Mike.’ The only indication that the ad is not a campaign ad appears in small type for four seconds: ‘PAID FOR WITH OFFICIAL FUNDS BY THE OFFICE OF MIKE COLLINS.’ Indeed, Collins’ Senate campaign is currently running an ad that is substantively identical. Both ads include the exact same quote from Trump praising Collins, paired with the same video. In his taxpayer-funded ad, a narrator says Collins is ‘protecting Georgia by working with President Trump to pass the Laken Riley Act.’ In his campaign ad, Collins says he ‘wrote the Laken Riley Act… to protect Georgia families.’” [Popular Information, 7/1/26]
Collins’ More Than $300,000 Payment To Smart Media Group Was The Single Largest Recorded Payment For Advertising In The House’s Expenditure Reports Across The Past Six Years; The Average Congressional Office Spent About $33,000 On All Mass Communications During The Same Period Which Collins Spent Over $400,000. According to Popular Information, “To put that figure in perspective, over the same six-month period, the average Congressional office spent about $33,000 on all mass communications. A Popular Information review of the spending of every House member from 2020 to the present found that the payment of over $300,000 to Smart Media by Collins’ office was the single largest recorded payment for advertising.” [Popular Information, 7/1/26]
Collins’ Franked Advertisements Aired Just Before The 60-Day Blackout Period Surrounding Elections. According to Popular Information, “Unsolicited mass communications paid for with Congressional office funds are prohibited within 60 days of an election. Collins’ taxpayer-funded ad ran through March 18, 2026, just before that 60-day cutoff ahead of the May 19 primary in Georgia.” [Popular Information, 7/1/26]
Collins’ Office Declined To Comment On Their Franked Advertising. According to Popular Information, “Collins’ office did not respond to a request for comment.” [Popular Information, 7/1/26]
Dooley Claimed That Collins Was “Running Television Ads In The Atlanta Media Market–Which Is Largely Outside Of Rep. Collins’ 10th Congressional District–With A $95,232 Cable Buy Airing This Ad Under The Guise Of ‘Franking.’” According to a press release from Derek Dooley’s Senate Campaign, “Dooley, is slamming Rep. Mike Collins for using nearly one hundred thousand dollars in taxpayer money to pay for television ads promoting his Senate campaign–the latest in multiple, egregious misuses of taxpayer funds by Congressman Collins’ office, which is also under an ongoing ethics investigation. Rep. Collins is running television ads in the Atlanta media market–which is largely outside of Rep. Collins’ 10th congressional district–with a $95,232 cable buy airing this ad under the guise of ‘franking’, a privilege given to members of Congress to communicate with their constituents regarding official congressional business, not political campaign activity.” [Press Release – Dooley For Georgia, 2/12/26]
Dooley Called The Ad “Blatant, Taxpayer-Funded Corruption By Congressman Mike Collins” And Thought That “At Minimum, Collins Should Apologize And Refund The Money From His Own Pocket Immediately. This Corruption From D.C. Politicians Who Abuse The System To Stay In Power Must End.” According to a press release from Derek Dooley’s Senate Campaign, “‘This is blatant, taxpayer-funded corruption by Congressman Mike Collins,’ said Derek Dooley, Republican candidate for United States Senate. ‘Instead of using his own campaign funds to pay for television advertisements three months before the primary, he is using nearly $100,000 of your tax dollars. At minimum, Collins should apologize and refund the money from his own pocket immediately. This corruption from D.C. politicians who abuse the system to stay in power must end.’” [Press Release – Dooley For Georgia, 2/12/26]
Collins Dismissed Dooley’s Call For Him To Return Nearly $100,000 In Franked Funds Over An Improper Ad And His Spokesman Declared That “A Washed-Up Lawyer And Failed Coach Has No Relevance To Our Constitutional Authority To Communicate With Constituents.” According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, “Dooley is taking a swipe at U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, a GOP rival in the race, over television ads paid for with taxpayer dollars. Collins, a Republican from Jackson, used about $100,000 in congressional funds to air a 30-second ad touting his support for an immigration crackdown. [...] Dooley is urging Collins to repay the money, calling it ‘blatant, taxpayer-funded corruption.’ The Collins camp was dismissive. ‘This is franked communication approved by the bipartisan House Communications Standards Commission,’ Collins’ spokesperson Corbin Keown said. ‘A washed-up lawyer and failed coach has no relevance to our constitutional authority to communicate with constituents.’” [Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 2/12/26]
The Office Of Congressional Conduct Raised Questions About Phillips’ Extensive Use Of Franking Reimbursements, $178,000 Across Three Years, As Part Of The Investigation They Referred To The House Ethics Committee. According to NOTUS, “Brandon Phillips, who at one point served as Collins’ chief of staff but as of January 2026 holds the title ‘senior policy adviser,’ received over $178,000 in office reimbursements between 2023 and 2025, according to the records. Most of the reimbursements were for franking — a privilege granted to members of Congress that allows them to use congressional funds to tout their accomplishments in office. The money can be spent on mail, television ads, digital ads and more. While chiefs of staff are permitted to use personal cards to pay for franking material and then get reimbursed, the reimbursements come at a time when Phillips is under scrutiny by the House Ethics Committee, which is reviewing his office conduct. An Office of Congressional Conduct report raised questions about his extensive use of reimbursements and alleged he potentially put his girlfriend on the payroll. The House Ethics Committee is also reviewing spending allegations against Collins.” [NOTUS, 1/8/26]
Collins’ Office Provided Receipts And Invoices For Five Of The Payments And Defended Phillips’ Actions, “The Reimbursements Are Associated With Legitimate And Permissible Franked Communications,” “None Of The Payments Are Income Nor Do Any Staff Have An Ownership Stake In Any Of The Vendors Used.” According to NOTUS, “Collins’ office provided NOTUS with a mixture of invoices and receipts for five of the purchases that went to advertising or mailing needs. They showed Phillips put an expense $11,411 on an American Express card. The card was also used for two expenses of $800 each. The office also provided two invoices later paid by Phillips: one for $13,903 and another for $2,850. ‘The reimbursements are associated with legitimate and permissible franked communications,’ a spokesperson for Collins said in a statement. ‘None of the payments are income nor do any staff have an ownership stake in any of the vendors used.’” [NOTUS, 1/8/26]
Other GOP Chiefs Of Staff Claimed That “Some Chiefs Of Staff Think It Is A Good Idea To Pay For Office Needs Themselves And Then Get Reimbursed Through The Office In Order To Get Credit Card Points,” “Those People Are Dumb, But It Takes A Special Type Of Idiot To Do It For Franking.” According to NOTUS, “NOTUS spoke with several House Republican chiefs of staff, who said they avoid using personal credit cards for office expenses to avoid any perception of impropriety. ‘Some chiefs of staff think it is a good idea to pay for office needs themselves and then get reimbursed through the office in order to get credit card points,’ one Republican chief told NOTUS. ‘Those people are dumb, but it takes a special type of idiot to do it for franking.’” [NOTUS, 1/8/26]